A Boruca Tradition and the Healing Power of Cedar - January 2012

The Dance of the Little Devils

By Alexis Costello, Kelowna, BC

Picture: Traditionally carved masks by the Boruca

Watching everyone in the city get into the ‘Holiday Spirit’ reminds me of what we were doing this time of year in Costa Rica – making our way to Palmer Norte to go on an adventure.  Palmar Norte is possibly the least charming place we visited in CR, though slightly redeemed by very nice people (the family that runs the hotel we stayed at fed us homemade tamales and rice pudding by the pool).  From there we went way up the mountain to the Boruca Reserve for their annual Baile de los Diablitos.  The festival takes place over three days.  The young men in the village carve masks out of wood and become representatives of the brave tribe.  Another man (actually several men, it is hard work and they switch off frequently) is dressed as a bull and represents the Spanish Conquistadors. 

A dance/fight ensues to the rhythm of beating drums, the melody of a recorder-type instrument, and the bellow of a conch shell.  Once the warriors win, they move along in a procession to another place in the village, women and children, older men and of course, us few gringo tourists, all streaming behind as they move through yards, rivers and brush to begin the fight again. 

            In theory, it is all very dignified – a way of the tribe celebrating the fact that they were never conquered by the Spanish when much of the country was.  In actuality, it is a lot of young men getting out their aggression by knocking each other down.  Pure testosterone in action.  An interesting rite of passage and fun to watch though.  Aidan made the comment that perhaps I just enjoy watching dark, sweaty young men dance around and wrestle, but I have denied that vehemently. 

            There is a rule that states that the men who participate in the Festival must carve and prepare their own masks.  While some are definitely more skilled than others, this means that they all have the pride of becoming artisans.  Most of the masks are made of balsa wood and then are painted but some are made of cedar.

            The wood from the tropical cedar tree (Cedrala Mexicana) is treasured and considered sacred by the Borucas.  The cedar trees are not cut down from the forest; they wait for one to fall naturally.  When one falls, the villagers will go out, walking for up to three hours to collect the wood and carrying their share home.  Most of the carving is done with different sized chisels.  If you go into one of the artisan huts where this carving is taking place, the sharp rich smell from the aromatic wood fills the air and cleans the sinuses!  The wood is still alive and wet as it is being carved, the entire process normally takes about a month to complete. These trees grow to 20-30m tall and are similar to the cedar trees we are used to in North America.  When in bloom it is full of small white flowers and bears winged-seed capsules 4cm long. 

            An infusion to help treat colds and flu can be made from the inner bark.  This tonic also purifies the blood, clears the lungs of phlegm and boosts the immune system.  The oils in cedar are very strong and are not recommended for long-term use.  Side-effects with prolonged use could include nausea and dizziness.  Tropical herbalist Ed Bernhardt recommends using one handful of inner bark (collected from branches, not the main trunk so as not to weaken the tree) to one litre of water and boiling to make the decoction.  Sip small amounts throughout the day for three days.

            The mask that we purchased was one of the few carved by a woman.  In the village we visited, only six of the women carve masks, the other 100 or so artisans are all male.  One reason for this is the dangerous nature of the work.  The group of female artisans in the village is called So Cagru – Viejas guerreras, which means ‘ancient warriors’. And so they are.

Alexis's Bio: Alexis Costello is a natural health practitioner specializing in applied kinesiology, Bach Flower Remedies, massage and herbology. Her 'passion for plants' brought her and her family to Costa Rica for six months of adventure studying herbs in the rainforest; learning everything she could from 'curanderos', medicine men, shaman and the local folk medicine. Now that she has returned to Kelowna, Alexis is working on starting up a fun integrated learning/healing centre called Happily Holistic. In the new column "Wandering Herbalist" (Alexis formerly wrote the column on nutrition for OK in Health), Alexis shares some of her experieinces and the healing plants she enjoyed most. www.happilyholistic.ca - Alexis Costello Website - Email